The next Standard legal Magic: The Gathering set arrives in just about a month and it's time for players to start preparing for their Adventures in the Forgotten Realms. The Dungeons and Dragons themed set will have pre-release events starting on July 15 and it would be wise for players to get familiar with the new mechanics and cards ahead of time if they don't mind some spoilers.
Usually each new Magic: The Gathering set features cards that utilize evergreen mechanics like Flying, First Strike, and many others in addition to brand new cards that introduce mechanics that have never been seen before. That is still the case with Adventures in the Forgotten Realms, although it seems like there is only one new mechanic being introduced. That said, it's a pretty major one that adds a brand new card type to the game, so it's wise to take a closer look.
The new mechanic consists of two parts. First, there are the new Dungeon cards that live outside of player's decks, but don't take up any sideboard slots in competitive play. Then, there are cards in decks that care about or interact with dungeons. Those cards will feature the new "venture into the dungeon" phrase or reference "as long as you've completed a dungeon."
Dungeon Cards
There are three Dungeon cards being introduced in this set and they should all sound very familiar to fans of fifth edition Dungeons and Dragons. These cards will not take up sideboard slots and, for now, there's no way for opponents to interact with a player's dungeon or their progress through it.
Here are the most important concepts to grasp in order to understand and properly use Dungeon cards when the new step arrives:
You always have access to all three dungeons, and you'll never need more than one of the same one. If you're playing with dungeons, just keep them with your sideboard until you need them.
The way to bring dungeons into the game is a new keyword action: venture into the dungeon. Several traditional Magic cards (the ones that do go in your deck) will instruct you to venture into the dungeon. This could be the effect of a spell, an activated ability, or a triggered ability.
If you venture into the dungeon while you don't have any dungeons in the command zone, meaning you're not in a dungeon, it's time to start your journey! Put the dungeon of your choice into the command zone and put a venture marker on the first room, at the top. Your venture marker is a way for you to track which room you're in, just like a mini tells you where you are on a D&D map. Each player has their own dungeon all to themselves.
Every time you enter a room, including the first room, its room ability triggers. These abilities all read "When you enter this room, [the effect printed in the room]."
Once a player is in a dungeon, the next time they venture into the dungeon, they'll move to the next room. They can't start a new dungeon until they complete the one they're in. When moving to the next room, follow the arrows down the card. They can never move backwards (up the card) in a dungeon.
"If you survive long enough, you'll reach the final room. After that room ability resolves or otherwise leaves the stack, the dungeon is removed from the game. Removing it from the game results in you completing the dungeon. (In some uncommon cases, you might venture into the dungeon in response to the final room ability. If that happens, you complete the dungeon you're in without waiting for the last room ability to leave the stack. You then start the next dungeon. That dungeon's first room ability will resolve before the previous dungeon's last room ability.)"
Although Dungeons may sound kind of intimidating and they do introduce a brand new card type, they're actually very simple in terms of gameplay mechanics. Players just need to have their Dungeons ready and carefully pick which one they place into the game when it's time to venture. Otherwise, progressing through the dungeon itself is actually very simple as long as players are keeping an eye on their triggers and don't forget about them.
Players should also keep an eye out for cards that care about the completion of a dungeon. So far, only one related spoiler has been revealed, but it seems like there are sure to be others. It's important to note that these cards do not need to be in-play and present when the Dungeon is completed.
Magic: The Gathering is available now and the Adventures in the Forgotten Realms set releases on July 15 for MTGO and Arena and in paper on July 23, 2021.